Gradation
by BlackandWhite13
Summary: 4 teens are transformed and transported to the Unova region by a mysterious machine. They must travel to find out how they got there, and how to get back. This is my first story, so please help by reviewing!
1. Not so ordinary

**Welcome to Gradation! This is my first story, so it probably could be a lot better. I would appreciate it if you could help me by reviewing it. Thank you, and enjoy!**

**P.S. I was eager to get started, so I have the first five chapters out already.**

_**Chapter 1: Not so ordinary**_

-Max-

I was on my way to Dante's house on my bike, trying to shift my attention to my DS every so often. I was NOT going to lose every battle, not like I had last time.

My name is Max. I'm 14 years old, just like my other friends, Chris, Kevin and Dante. We were all going to Dante's house to have a tournament in Pokémon: Black and White. We do this often, almost every time a new game comes out. To my eternal shame, I lose every battle. Even my level 100 Venusaur, Meganium, Sceptile, and Torterra were easily defeated by the others' Pokémon. But with black version, I thought that I might be able to win, at least once.

When I arrived, I saw two other bikes, one red and one blue. _Great, I'm the last one here,_ I thought, parking my green bike next to them. The door was open, like it always is (don't ask me why) so I just went inside.

"What took you so long?" Kevin asked, seeing me enter from the corner of his eye. He was already going against Dante, no doubt with Samurott at the head of his party. "Chris has been waiting to destroy you."

"I had to pump up my tire, and just because his starter is a fire type doesn't mean he automatically wins," I retorted. In case you haven't noticed by now, we had a kind of silent agreement when it came to starters. Chris always picked the fire type, Kevin always had the water type, and I always got the grass type. Dante was the only one with variety, always surprising us with which starter he chose. That probably has to do with why he wins almost every time.

"Well come on already," Chris said. "Dante said he has something to show us when we're done."

I sighed, sitting down next to Chris and using the wireless connection to locate his challenge. I might have said that his starter doesn't decide the match, but I was bluffing. My party was built around Serperior's weaknesses, and Chris liked to train a separate party _just_ to counter what he predicted mine to be. I had used the infinite TM modification to my advantage as much as possible, but it came down to who was better in the end…

-Dante-

I was easily beating Kevin, no surprise there. In fact, it was so easy; it gave me time to think about what I needed to show to the others.

My dad is an inventor, but he's a little lazy, and never managed to get anything he made patented. He'd once joked that he'd thought the computer out before Charles Babbage was born. He does, ironically, have a knack for replicating everything he sees, from instruments to drawings, and especially gadgets he'd dreamt about. That's why I might not have been surprised when I saw the new device that my dad had made. But, for some strange reason, it radiated something… different, maybe even ominous.

The machines looked not different than just four capsules with doors, each tall enough to hold someone 7 feet tall if it was required. They were each attached to containers of gases that were labeled with the colors red, blue, green, and grey. The weirdest thing is, when I asked my dad what it was, he had absolutely no idea. He couldn't even remember his dream, or where he got the gas (or any of the parts, for that matter), or what the colors represented. NOTHING.

I finally finished beating Kevin and went over to see how badly Max was losing. That's when I got another big surprise: Chris was on his last Pokémon, and none of Max's had even fainted. Max smirked as he knocked out Chris's last Pokémon – Simisage – while Chris just stared in disbelief, even oblivious to Kevin's overly loud shout of the same emotion.

"Looks like you'll finally be able to play against me," I said.

"Thanks, but I want to see what you were talking about first," he responded.

Hiding my surprise, I nodded and lead everyone to the basement, the resting place of all my dad's inventions, new and old.


	2. A bad idea

**In case you didn't notice, nothing much happened in chapter one. That's because the first two chapters are pretty much just to set up the story and give each character a chance to have a point of view, so the story doesn't really start for a while. Anyway, enjoy chapter 2!**

_**Chapter 2 – A bad idea**_

-Chris-

"Looks like you'll finally be able to play against me," said Dante.

"Thanks, but I want to see what you were talking about first," responded Max.

Half of me was still in shock that I had lost to Max. It just seemed as if Unova was his lucky region, in the same way Johto seemed to be mine. The other half of me, however, was glad that Max had asked that, since I was curious about what Dante had wanted to show us. I had a feeling that it was another one of his dad's inventions, but what could be so special? Did he finally remember to get a patent?

Dante led the three of us to his basement. As many times as I've been here, it never ceases to amaze me. It's like an ocean of… stuff. There are things that I've seen before, like a camera, a computer and a laser pointer. But the things that are more interesting are the ones that he actually came up with. We had tested out many of these before, so I knew what most of them did. There was something new this time, though. A seven foot tall machine that had four chambers in it. Obviously, this is what he wanted us to see.

We made our way to the object, careful not to step on anything, only to stand, looking at it in silence. Eventually, I felt like I had to say something, or else we would just stand here forever.

"So… what does it do?"

"That's the strange part," Dante replied slowly. "He actually doesn't know. It seemed like he was in a trance the whole time he worked on it."

_Well that's a first_, I thought, surprised. Even when inventions came to Dante's father in dreams, he at least had some idea of what they were supposed to do. And those that he wasn't so sure about…

"Do we get to test it?" Kevin asked, as if to finish my thought.

"I'm pretty sure we would, but he likes to be around when we use stuff for the first time." Dante's father had been in the hospital for almost a week now, luckily the doctor said he should be back in about three days.

Impulsive as ever, Kevin said, "I think that we won't break anything. I mean, the thing doesn't have any controls, apart from the buttons in the tubes." Max and I agreed with Kevin.

Unsure, Dante gave in. "But it's your fault if anything happens."

-Kevin-

I persuaded Dante to let us use the machine, sure, but _how_ does this thing work? The obvious answer would be walking in and pressing the button, but I'm not as reckless as everyone seems to think.

"Let's just try using the buttons," Max said, voicing my thoughts. He does have a tendency to do that with at least one of us every day. "I can't see any other triggers."

"I call the blue one!" I blurted out, since by now we had all seen the labels on the tubes' containers. Blue is my favorite color, which explains my bike and starter choices. As I half expected, Max went in the green one and Chris in the red, leaving Dante with the gray.

Through some unspoken agreement, we decided to press them at the same times. Dante did the countdown.

"3…" I jumped as his voice disturbed my thoughts.

"2…" I got ready to push the button.

"1…" And for some reason, a picture of Piplup (my favorite starter) flashed through my mind. I didn't have time to think why, though…

"Now!" We pushed the buttons, and almost immediately, our respective tubes closed. For a second, nothing happened (I think Max panicked though – he's claustrophobic). Then all of a sudden, gas started pouring in from the top of our capsules. By instinct, I held my breath and looked at the others. Max was truly freaking out now, between being trapped and surrounded by green gases. I couldn't see Chris's tube behind Max's, but I assumed he was reacting similarly. What I saw in Dante's tube, though, made me gasp – he was out cold, and yet unconsciously holding his head and moaning, as if new information was forcing its way into his head. Gasping was a bad idea, though – immediately, I started to feel dizzy. I could feel something making itself known inside of me, but I was falling too fast to pay much attention. The last thing I noticed before passing out was seeing that Dante's grey smoke was leaking, and showing no sign of slowing down…


	3. A shocking realization

**Okay, something finally happened. This is my longest chapter so far, although it still looks pretty short (it has a little over 1300 words). Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 3: A shocking realization**_

-Max-

No one else knows this, but I have a habit of waking up at 3 in the morning for no apparent reason. I feel more awake with less sleep.

Today was no different (at least, in terms of waking up) except for a sore body. I remembered passing out in the tube (I flinch just at the memory of that closed, green space) inside Dante's basement, but now, I woke up in a room that seems four times as large, on the floor next to a bed. _At least whoever carried me here could have given me a blanket,_ I couldn't help thinking grumpily. I looked around, and almost fainted at what I saw.

Right next to me on the floor were two figures. In the dim light, I couldn't be sure, but it looked like a Cyndaquil and a Piplup were sleeping there. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that these were Chris and Kevin's favorite Pokémon, respectively. After recovering from the shock that there were _Pokémon_, as big as me, outside of a dream (I'm pretty sure it's not a dream, my body hurt so much), I wondered where they were.

The bed, which looked like it was 20 feet tall, would be too difficult to check now, so I tried to walk around it. I noticed that my legs felt a lot shorter, and my toes and hands just felt weird. Whenever I moved forward, it felt like something was dragging behind me.

On the other side, the only things of interest were a giant table and an even more giant mirror. I turned back, but stopped when I saw a flash of green in the mirror. Curious (like I usually am), I went towards the mirror, and the green figure moved closer too. I looked behind me, but I wasn't being followed. Maybe I unconsciously changed into green clothes?

I knew I hadn't changed when I got close enough to see what it was. Even though I had already seen two other Pokémon, I still jumped in surprise when I saw that it was a Snivy – my favorite Pokémon, and the last thing I thought about before we pressed those buttons in the (I shuddered) tubes. The Snivy in the mirror, as if mocking me, jumped and shuddered at the exact same time. I glared behind me again, for a longer time. _What does this Snivy want from me?_

Suddenly, something occurred to me. If there was a Snivy in the mirror, then where was I? I slowly turned back to the mirror, to see the reflection do the same. Hesitatingly, I put my hand to the mirror, and the Snivy's met mine.

My hand was the same as his. Could that mean that I was… a Snivy?

Before I had time to process this, blackness claimed my vision.

-Dante-

"LUUUUUUUUUUP!"

That was the first thing I heard after getting knocked out in that machine. Trust me, not the best way to wake up.

The sound sounded something like a scream, but with a different "word". Coming to my senses, I realized that I had somehow been carried to a room. It was about the size of my room, but the similarities stopped there. I sat up and noticed that I was wearing different clothes. _I hoped that no one did that for me_, I thought, somewhat embarrassed. But that was the least of my worries. When I looked next to "my" bed, toward a table and the exit, I had to lie down again.

Looking back to see if it was real, I saw a Cyndaquil trying to find out where the noise was coming from, a Piplup looking in the mirror, freaking out, and a Snivy, unconscious on the floor. _Since when are Pokémon _real_? And where are Max, Chris, and Kevin?_

-Chris-

I'm pretty sure if I wasn't on the floor already, I would have fallen out of bed. Where did that scream come from?

When I tried to get up and walk, I almost immediately fell on my face. After 3 tries, I gave up and tried walking with my arms and legs. It worked a lot better.

After guessing that the noise had come from the other side of the colossal bed, I walked around to check it out. For some reason, I couldn't open my eyes as much as I'd like to, but I could still see well. But If I could open my eyes any more, they would have gone as far open as they could. Not only were there a Snivy and a Piplup right in front of me, a giant head was watching us from on top of the bed!

"What the…!" I said. At least, I meant it, but my ears picked it up as "Cynda…!" _That's weird, did the gas change my voice? Or I could be dreaming…_ I tried again. "How did a Piplup get here?" Again, it sounded like "Cynda quil daquil?" Apparently, the Piplup understood what I said and stopped running around to look at me.

"Piplup pi?" it said. Somehow, I knew it was asking, "Who are you?" Before I answered, I finally noticed that the giant head belonged to Dante, and that there was a Cyndaquil in the mirror.

"Um… I'm Chris." I said, unsurely. Was it a good idea to give him my name? Apparently it was, because at that, the Piplup's eyes flew open.

"Chris? You turned into a Pokémon too?" it said, incredulously. Noticing my confusion, it quickly said, "I'm Kevin!"

"Um… you're a Piplup…"

"And you're a Cyndaquil," he retorted.

"WHAT?" I looked back at the mirror, raising my right arm up (which, I noticed, looked a lot stubbier than before). To my shock, the Cyndaquil copied my movement. How did we turn into Pokémon? And if Dante was on the bed, was the Snivy on the ground Max?

"Um… where did you three come from?" Speaking of which, Dante chose now to speak up.

_How are we supposed to answer that? We're POKEMON!_ I thought this out loud, if that's possible. But somehow, he heard my thoughts.

"How did you say that?"

I realized that I may have become telepathic. _Dante? This is Chris._

"You're a Cyndaquil?"

_Yeah, and Kevin is the Piplup._

"How are you talking to him?" asked Kevin.

_I can talk to him through my thoughts._ A silence followed, as if Kevin still was waiting for an answer.

"But he just answered you…" Dante said for apparently no reason.

"He can hear our thoughts?" Kevin asked, as if this was new.

"That's what I just sai – I mean, thought!" I said, annoyed.

"Well maybe only Dante can read our thoughts…"

"So is the Snivy Max?" Dante asked.

As if responding to his name, Max started to pick himself off of the ground. After we told him who we were, Dante decided to get to more important things…

"Does anyone have any idea how this happened?"


	4. Hidden memories

_**Chapter 4 – Hidden Memories**_

-Kevin-

So far, nothing much has happened today. The only things of interest were discovering that I had turned into a Piplup, Chris into a Cyndaquil, Max into a Snivy, and Dante into… well, he's still a human, but he's wearing different clothes, and can read our minds.

Completely normal.

"Does anyone have any idea how this happened?" Dante addressed all of us.

"Well, this might have been what the machine your dad made does," I offered, thinking the same thing for Dante's benefit.

"But why would he want to make something that turns humans into Pokémon?" wondered Chris, still trying to get used to walking.

"Well, maybe something possessed him." We all looked at Max. "What?"

Dante sighed. "Well, if it was the tube, how do we undo this? I'm pretty sure that this is a different house."

Just then, we heard someone coming up the stairs. Filling his daily quota, Max said what we were all thinking: "Hide!"

We all hid under the bed, and only 3 seconds later, we could see pink shoes entering the room…

-Dante-

A woman entered the room, obviously an adult. I had never seen her before, and yet, I had many memories, things I remember experiencing when I really hadn't…

"Hi, mom." I surprised even myself as these words left my mouth. This wasn't my mom! She was in the hospital with my dad! And yet, it seemed like she was her... that gray gas must have really messed with my mind.

"Good morning, Dante," she said, smiling as she put the tray of breakfast she was holding down. "Eat quickly, and get dressed, because Cheren and Bianca are coming over soon to open Professor Juniper's gift." Cheren and Bianca were my two rivals and friends. I knew this from both my "memories" and my experience with the game. And as for the gift, it was our first Pokémon (I winced inside as I realized that I was only 10 now). I gave her my thanks and she went downstairs. As soon as she was out of sight, three incredulous voices filled my head.

_HOW WAS SHE YOUR MOM?_

_SINCE WHEN DO YOU KNOW PROFESSOR JUNIPER?_

_WASN'T I SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THOSE "GIFTS"?_

"Stop thinking so loud, you'll give me a headache," I moaned as the three Pokémon/humans came out from under the bed to question me. I explained my new memories to them as they listened, curious.

_I agree; that gas did something to your head._ That was Kevin.

"As for what you said, Max, maybe the gift is another Snivy."

_I doubt it, but we'll see soon enough. Is there anything to eat?_

"For me, it's right there. Maybe there's something for you guys in the cabinets?" I said, referring to the drawers that my laptop rested on. Checking it, the three drawers on the right side all contained clothes. The top drawer had more clothes, but the middle one was filled with all sorts of potions. Keeping that drawer in mind for later, I checked the last drawer. This had food, but only for Pokémon. I took it out, shrugging.

"All I found is some Pokémon food. Here you go," I said, pouring them into three bowls. I sat down to eat my own breakfast; if they don't want that, then it's not my problem.

-Max-

We were just standing there for at least a minute, staring at the bowls of Pokémon food. When I heard my stomach growl, I decided that I couldn't wait any longer. I stepped forward and started to eat out of the bowl on the right. It tasted a lot better than I expected – I could almost compare it to Chinese food! – But after a while, I realized that I was still alone.

"Why won't you eat? It's not poisoned, and we're not getting anything else."

Slowly, Chris came forward. Kevin, however, stayed where he is. "What if the food makes us _more _like Pokémon?"

"In that case, which is better; being a full Piplup, or a dead human?" My retort made Kevin sigh, mutter something about Dante's food, and came to eat.

It only took us about five minutes to finish, and two more for Dante to change clothes.

"You know, guys, I'm only going to be able to use Max for now. Cheren and Bianca will want to know where you came from, and it's hard enough explaining one," Dante said, "so, if you don't mind…" He pulled out two pokéballs from one of his drawers.

Chris nodded, but Kevin (who has been paranoid since he turned into a Pokémon) ran under the bed and screamed, "YES! I DO MIND!"'

Dante sighed, and I proceeded to drag him out. _This is going to be a long day._


	5. Double rivalry

**Finally, the first battle! I kind of like the idea of Black and White having two rivals, it makes it so that you don't have to fight the same team after every badge. (Of course, you still do, so I guess it doesn't really matter.) Also, there's supposed to be a long string of words in this chapter, but it keeps getting edited out. If someone could explain how to fix that, I'd appreciate it.**

_**Chapter 5: Double rivalry**_

-Dante-

The pokéball shook one last time before finally clicking shut. Kevin wasted EVERY SINGLE ONE of my pokéballs while I was trying to get him in. In fact, I had to have Chris and Max attack him for me before it even came close to catching him.

Since I was all out of balls, I had to have Chris hide under the bed for now (those three have been doing that a lot lately). Before I could decide if Max should do the same, two people entered my room – a boy holding a briefcase and a girl. I somehow recognized these two as Cheren and Bianca.

"Hi Dante," said Cheren. "Before anything else, you should know that–"

"HiDante aren'tyouexited aboutourpokemon heywheredid yougetthatsnivy?"" Bianca blurted this out so quickly that the only things I registered were the words "Hi" and "Snivy".

"– Bianca got her parents to give her coffee this morning." Cheren finished, face-palming. "By the way, is that the Snivy that Juniper lost?"

I realized two things: One, that Bianca's parents had no control over her, and two, that in my new memories, Professor Juniper's Snivy had run away two days ago.

"Yeah, I found him by the forest, fainted. He must be pretty weak, compared to the wild Pokémon," I lied. Max sharply glared at me, and if Bianca wasn't being so loud, they might have heard Chris laughing to himself.

"Comeonopenthegiftalready!" Bianca almost shouted. Cheren looked at me.

"I heard something about opening the gift," I offered. Cheren shrugged, placed the briefcase on the table, and opened it.

Inside, there were three pokéballs. Only two of them contained Pokémon – Oshawott and Tepig – the third one was empty, but had a note stuck onto it. It was hastily written, probably as a reminder to herself to look for a replacement Snivy. _I hope she's not still looking for one,_ I thought guiltily, glancing at Max (who was still kind of mad at me for the whole forest lie).

"IWANTTHEOTTER!" This shriek was followed by a blur that pushed me onto the floor and picked up the pokéball containing Oshawott. "It'ssoCUTE!"

"Um… Dante, do you want to keep Snivy or do you want Tepig?" Cheren asked. To his credit, he didn't show any signs but a faint smile that he was holding in a laugh.

"I'll keep Snivy, you can have Tepig," I said, using the empty pokéball to capture Max. It didn't even shake.

-Max-

Once Dante had caught me inside the pokéball, I spent a minute laughing at how Dante had been pushed aside by Bianca for an Oshawott. I feel sorry for him – the Oshawott, not Dante.

After I calmed down, I looked around the pokéball. As I had always suspected, the pokéball was much more spacious on the inside than it looked like on the outside. It kind of reminded me of what the Pokémon centers looked like in the game, except for the lack of furniture. The only thing of interest was the fact that the walls were transparent, so I could see what was going on outside. While I was pondering how I was supposed to bring stuff into the pokéball, a red light surrounded me, and I came out of the pokéball.

I came out to see a battle-ready Oshawott and a somewhat-less-hyper Bianca. I assumed this meant that Dante had been challenged and got ready to fight. I automatically knew that my only moves were tackle and leer.

"OSHAUSETACKLE!" By some miracle, Oshawott (apparently nicknamed Osha) understood that he was being asked to use tackle and charged at me.

"Dodge and use growl!" Dante said. I sighed. _Do you even know what moves I know?_ I thought before following his instructions, replacing growl with leer.

"No, not really…" Dante said quietly, before commanding, "Now, use scratch! Or tackle!"

I went with the latter, charging into Osha faster than I expected. He crashed into the drawer, knocking over Dante's laptop and making three drawers fall out, before lying on the ground, unmoving.

"Looks like Dante won that one," Cheren commented while he was looking at the mess of Dante's clothes under his laptop. "And at least the clothes stopped the laptop from breaking."

"Sorry about that," Bianca said. It looked like the coffee's effect had worn off during the battle. "So since Dante won, you'll be fighting him, Cheren?" I prepared myself for another battle, hopefully a little harder.

"Yes, I will. Go, Tepig!" Cheren shouted, throwing out his pokéball. Tepig appeared in a flash of red light. "Use tail whip!"

My opponent whipped its tail in a way that made me let down my guard slightly. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't regain the tension I felt in the beginning of the battle.

I didn't have too much time to think about this. "Retaliate with leer!" Dante said, and I obeyed.

"Keep using tail whip!"

"Keep using leer!"

It seemed like a mix between a staring and whipping contest, to the point at which my body felt like it couldn't take any hits at all.

Dante decided to break the trend at that point. "Use tackle, Max!"

"You too, Tepig!" Cheren said, at the same time as Bianca wondered out loud, "When did you name him?"

We both charged at each other, meeting head-on. My vision exploded into stars; I was about to faint. From what I could see of Tepig, though, he felt the same. He recovered faster, and Cheren took advantage of this. "Finish him with tackle!"

"Max, dodge!" Dante shouted as Tepig slowly picked up speed. I was too weak to dodge, though; I still couldn't see clearly. But then, I felt my arm slowly coil itself into a vine-like shape and become longer. From some instinct, I waited until it was what I considered to be the right time, and whipped Tepig with it. I could see well enough to see that the attack had been enough to stop him in his tracks and fall over, unconscious.

I smiled to myself in my victory before falling over myself. Before I fainted for the second time today, I heard Dante say, "…vine whip…good…rest…"

The red light of the pokéball engulfed me once more, but I was already out.


	6. In another world

**I told you it would be quick. Nothing too different from the games is going to happen for a while, so it may get a little boring. Sorry :/**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

_**Chapter 6: In another world**_

-Dante-

"We'll meet you at Professor Juniper's Lab in five minutes," Cheren called on his way out, guiding Bianca. After I had beaten Cheren, we had realized that Bianca was practically asleep.

_So where am I supposed to hide now?_ The voice of Chris filled my head.

"I don't know… I was planning on saying that I caught you and Kevin, but we have to start traveling first." Kevin's name reminded me that they were still inside the pokéballs. I released him and Max, whom Cheren had healed.

_If you three forgot, we're still trying to figure out how to change back, _Kevin thought (and said, I think).

_But maybe we can figure something out while we're traveling, _thought Chris._ Nothing's going to happen if we just stay in this house, and Dante already promised to go with Bianca and Cheren._

_Maybe it's like a video game!_ Max thought suddenly. _We don't change back until we beat the game!_ I gave a confused look at him, while Chris sighed and Kevin face-palmed. _It's possible…_

"Ignoring what Max said, I do agree with Chris. I might as well try going with them and see what happens." I started to put some things from my drawer into a bag hanging on the door. "As for hiding Chris and Kevin, Max doesn't have to be in a pokéball…"

_Yeah, but it's going to reject everyone except me, unless you release me. And no, don't try that,_ Max added before I could open my mouth.

"Ok, then I guess they could hide somewhere until we can meet up with them."

Kevin thought, _How are we supposed to get outside?_

_We could jump out of the window, _Chris suggested hesitantly.

"I can't think of any other way. Just wait until we're out of the house." I would rather not have them jump from a two story building when they're barely a foot tall, but no one else spoke up.

"Ok, Max, let's go!" I called him back into his pokéball.

-Max-

Nothing much happened on our way out, apart from Dante's mom giving him something that looked like a phone. He let me out of my ever boring pokéball when we left the house, in time for me to wince as I heard the yell of a Cyndaquil and Piplup, accompanied by a loud thud.

We walked around for a while before we found Cheren waiting by himself in front of the building that looked like a laboratory. It briefly crossed my mind that we could have been transported to the Unova region, but I forgot about it. There was no way the smoke could have changed our location, and I had already supplied Dante with enough reasons to doubt my sanity.

"Bianca's at her house. Her parents are mad at her for some reason, so we'll have to tell her what happened," Cheren explained. That confused me; if it was _them _that let her have coffee, what else could she be in trouble for?

Inside the lab, it was a lot less crowded than I expected. There wasn't much in the room that caught my eye except a tube that looked hauntingly familiar… _but that can't be part of the machine, can it?_

"There's really no way to know for sure," Dante said so that only I could hear it.

Suddenly, a tall woman came out of a room connected to the laboratory. She was dressed in a lab coat and had green shorts. If it wasn't for her ice-cream like hair, I would have been able to go on being completely sure we were still in the same planet. The only place I've seen hair like that was in a video game.

"Hello! I see you've found Snivy. It's a good thing you just came in, I was about to go and look for another one." The woman who looked like Professor Juniper said this quickly, barely giving us time to respond. She then proceeded to say a bunch of stuff that I didn't really listen to; I did hear something about researching Pokémon, gym leaders, and the number 649. "So, here is a pokédex. It will help record all the Pokémon you meet on your journey. Dante, if you don't mind, could you take this one to Bianca? Thank you and good luck on your adventure!" She walked back into her room. I'm just surprised she managed to say all that without having to take a breath.

"It seemed like she wanted to get rid of us or something," Cheren commented once were outside. "Anyway, meet me in front of route one after you get Bianca." He walked toward the northern part of town.

"I wonder why she couldn't come to the lab with us," Dante said to me.

_If this is anything like the game, maybe her parents don't want her to leave._

"Come on, Max, do you really think this is like something someone in Japan made up and turned into a game? I still think that this could all be a dream."

_Well, you weren't the one who had to fight a pig with a trainer that doesn't even know your attacks._

"Can we save this for when we catch up with Chris and Kevin?"

_Fine…_

Dante opened the door (without knocking) to see Bianca about to storm out. The absence of the door made her momentum carry her onto the ground. Dante apologized, but she just picked herself up without a word and ran toward the Professor's house.

_Do you still think this isn't like the game?_


	7. In another place

**Don't let the beginning fool you; this is a different chapter. It's just a different point of veiw, namely Kevin and Chris. Anyway, my updates may be slowing down a bit, but expect at least one new chapter per week (more likely, two).**

_**Chapter 7: In another place**_

-Dante-

"We'll meet you at Professor Juniper's Lab in five minutes," Cheren called on his way out, guiding Bianca. After I had beaten Cheren, we had realized that Bianca was practically asleep.

_So where am I supposed to hide now?_ The voice of Chris filled my head.

"I don't know… I was planning on saying that I caught you and Kevin, but we have to start traveling first." Kevin's name reminded me that they were still inside the pokéballs. I released him and Max, whom Cheren had healed.

_If you three forgot, we're still trying to figure out how to change back, _Kevin thought (and said, I think).

_But maybe we can figure something out while we're traveling, _thought Chris._ Nothing's going to happen if we just stay in this house, and Dante already promised to go with Bianca and Cheren._

_Maybe it's like a video game!_ Max thought suddenly. _We don't change back until we beat the game!_ I gave a confused look at him, while Chris sighed and Kevin face-palmed. _It's possible…_

"Ignoring what Max said, I do agree with Chris. I might as well try going with them and see what happens." I started to put some things from my drawer into a bag hanging on the door. "As for hiding Chris and Kevin, Max doesn't have to be in a pokéball…"

_Yeah, but it's going to reject everyone except me, unless you release me. And no, don't try that,_ Max added before I could open my mouth.

"Ok, then I guess they could hide somewhere until we can meet up with them."

Kevin thought, _How are we supposed to get outside?_

_We could jump out of the window, _Chris suggested hesitantly.

"I can't think of any other way. Just wait until we're out of the house." I would rather not have them jump from a two story building when they're barely a foot tall, but no one else spoke up.

"Ok, Max, let's go!" I called him back into his pokéball.

-Chris-

"You _had_ to get us stuck with jumping out the window, didn't you?" Kevin complained so loudly, I'm surprised Dante didn't run back up the stairs.

"Don't be so loud. Besides, It's not like _you _had a better idea."

We waited for about a minute in silence before we heard the door close downstairs.

Kevin sighed. "Let's get this over with," he said, walking over to the open window.

I climbed next to him, and braced myself for the jump. It may have only been 12 feet in reality, but it looked like 30 from what I could see. My vision blurred suddenly, and several bad things followed.

I lost my footing.

Trying to hang on, I turned and knocked over Kevin.

We both fell, yelling loudly.

We landed in a bush, which, of course, _had_ to have thorns in it.

We spent five minutes running away into the forest so no one would find us.

We spent three _more_ minutes getting the thorns out of our bodies.

After those eight and a quarter torturous minutes, I looked at our surroundings. We were in some grass that was at least three feet high, and I couldn't see where the edge was.

"Do you think there are any other Pokémon around here?" Kevin asked, finishing with his thorns. "After all, this _is _the tall grass, and the more I see of wherever we are, the more I realize it's just like the Unova region. In fact, almost everything that's happened so far is like it came out of the game."

"Come on, Kevin, that's something that Max would say." We were in a different place, but how could it be explained that we were transported to a different world in less than a day?

"Who's Max?" We both jumped as a third voice came out of nowhere.

"Who was that?" I said, recovering first. In answer, a figure stepped out of the grass. My mouth opened when I realized that it was a Patrat, just like in the game.

"Do you still think this isn't like the game?" Kevin asked under his breath.

-Max-

_Do you still think this isn't like the game?_ I asked Dante, seeing Bianca run away from what could only be an argument with her father. The strange thing, though, is that I felt as if Kevin, wherever he was, was saying the same exact thing…

-Kevin-

"Sorry about that, I just woke up listening to you two talking," said the Patrat, who had (luckily) not heard me. "Did you two come from the town? I've never seen a Cyndaquil or Piplup here before, not even a trainer's."

"Um… yeah, we're waiting for someone," Chris said, shakily.

At this, Patrat's eyes lit up. "Is it a trainer? I've always wanted to be captured; It's boring here, and the Lilipups are annoying." Well, at least now I know I'm the only one who doesn't like being in a pokéball. Chris looked at me, and I shrugged.

"I don't see why not; it's Dante's choice, though."

"Yes! By the way, my name's Rett."

"Um, Rett?" I spoke up for the first time. "Would you know how to get out of this grass?"

"Of course, I live here!" he responded, "follow me!"


	8. Dual Duel

**Yay for quick updates! This chapter has another battle, which means it has more relatively pointless text. :/ But don't worry, something different might happen in the next chapter or two...**

_**Chapter 8: Dual Duel**_

-Chris-

"…and for some reason, all the trainers seem to want a Lilipup. I don't even see why anyone would want one; it's so fat after its last evolution, I'm surprised it can even _walk_, let alone fight…"

As helpful as he was being, Rett was getting a little annoying. For the whole time we were walking, he had been rambling about trainers, Lilipups, and anything else that came into his head. We hadn't even been able to tell him that we were humans yet…

"… anyway, here we are. If your friend is a new trainer, the professor should come here with him soon. By the way, how did you meet him in the first place?" Finally, he lets us talk.

"Um… that's kind of complicated…" Kevin began…

-Dante-

"Bye, sweetie!" My mom had caught Bianca running away, and apparently helped her get over whatever happened at her house. She had also given us maps, along with an extra for Cheren, and I gave Bianca her pokédex. We went up to the entrance to the forest, where Cheren was trying to teach his Tepig how to play fetch.

"What took you so long?" he asked us, not even bothering to get the stick that Tepig only looked at curiously.

"We stopped by my house on the way back. She gave us these." I handed him the map, while Max tried to explain the purpose of the stick to Tepig.

"Professor Juniper is already waiting for us inside," Cheren said as we started walking, taking the first step onto the route together. It wasn't too long until she came into sight.

"There you are! So, who wants to see how to catch a Pokémon?" We all raised our hands. "Great! Now first of all, most Pokémon will only hide in the tall grass…

-Max-

"…so, it's pretty much something where you get to stretch your legs. I guess it would be more competitive with more people, though." I had been trying to help Cheren by telling Tepig about catch. I don't think he understood that well, though; I had only ever played the game from one perspective, and my dog hadn't even stood up for the stick. Then again, he was an old dog.

Anyway, while I was talking to Tepig, a Pokémon appeared out of the tall grass. This had obviously been what the humans had been waiting for.

"It's a Patrat!" the professor exclaimed. "Go, Minccino!" She threw her pokéball, and a mouse-like Pokémon emerged from it. (I never understood why they thought of Minccino, they already have Pikachu…) "To catch a Pokémon, you first have to lower its health," the professor addressed the trainers as the Minccino attacked the Patrat in a well-practiced routine. The Patrat, as if it was part of the act, didn't even fight back. "If it's still strong, it can break out of the pokéball easily." _Tell me something I don't know,_ I thought, and Dante gave an almost invisible smirk.

"When it's weak enough, you can throw a pokéball at it." The professor produced yet another red and white sphere, enlarged it, and threw it at the Patrat. It immediately clicked as the center glowed, signaling a successful capture. "Usually, the pokéball will shake several times as the Pokémon tries to escape, but this is a special Patrat." She held a button on the pokéball, and then threw it into the air. The Patrat came out, but with a blue light. "By the way," she said, "that small button on the side is for releasing Pokémon, if you may ever need to do it." The Patrat waved, and then dove back into the sea of grass. It was only then I noticed three pairs of eyes watching us from a patch right next to it.

"I'll provide you with five pokéballs each; you can buy more from any Pokémon center's shop. Good luck, and I'll see you at Accumula town!" She handed them the pokéballs, then walked off.

"Hey guys, wanna have a contest to see who can catch the most Pokémon?" Bianca asked, right on cue.

"Sure," said Cheren. "The losers each have to buy the winner a potion."

"OK, let's go!" Bianca ran off, deeper into the route.

"Come on, Tepig." Cheren followed her more slowly.

Once they were gone, I turned my attention back to the eyes. "You can come out now," I said and thought. As I expected, Kevin and Chris stepped out, although with a less expected Patrat.

"There you are. I hope jumping out the window didn't hurt too much…?" This question earned him two glares from its targets. "OK, then… what about the Patrat?"

"He wants to come with us. His name is Rett," Kevin replied. "Rett, the Snivy is Max, and the trainer is Dante."

"He can come, but I still need to 'catch' Chris…" He smiled suddenly. "How about a double battle?" Everyone agreed, although I groaned to myself at the thought of having Kevin as a teammate.

-Chris-

We had an obvious disadvantage, unless Rett was stronger than he let on. Max was the only one with a ranged attack right now, and on top of that, he was faster than any of us. So I figured we would team up on Kevin.

_We're ready,_ I thought after relaying my thoughts to Rett.

"Go, Max and Kevin!" Dante said, unnecessarily. They were already standing in front of him, ready to battle. "Use formation Alpha!" That's weird, I'm pretty sure that's not a move…

Before I could actually wonder about how much planning they actually did, I saw Kevin charging at me. I easily leapt aside, but I ran right into Max's vine whip, which in turn knocked me into another of Kevin's tackles. While I tried to get up, I saw a similar thing happen to Patrat. But then, I felt something burning in my stomach. I noticed that Max's back was turned, and the burning feeling leapt to my mouth. I exhaled heavily, and flames leapt out of my mouth, and right onto the grass-type. He yelled at the super effective attack, causing Kevin to lose focus and trip and Patrat to bite him.

"Switch to Epsilon!" Dante shouted. How many formations did they make? Immediately, Max got up, and started to run at me. I used ember, but at the last minute, he jumped out of the way, exposing Kevin, who had appeared out of nowhere. My attack barely seemed to affect him, and he retaliated by shooting bubbles at me. Of course, if I had still been human, he may as well have thrown a feather at me; however, I was a flaming Pokémon, so the (apparently explosive) bubbles felt like bullets. When Rett tried to run over and help me, he was hit by a vine and multiple bubbles at the same time. I tried to get up, but my head was spinning so much I just fell down again. Suddenly, my vision turned red, and I was inside a dark space. I tried to get out, but I couldn't push my way out of the invisible walls. I tried until I used the last of my energy, but it still wouldn't work. Exhausted, I lay down, the world spinning. Before I fainted, I noticed that the ball almost looked like a Pokémon center.

-?-

From my lookout post, I watched the trainer's battle. I noticed two things. First, it seemed like the Pokémon _enjoyed_ the battle. Why would a Pokémon want to be caught? But my second discovery was far more important. The trainer could actually communicate with the three Pokémon! The only two ways that could happen, as far as I know, is either if there was a psychic type among them (which there wasn't) or if the boss's experiment had worked…

Taking out my XTransceiver, I decided to take a chance. "Lord N, I believe I have located the subjects…"


	9. The Power Within

**Sigh... it's done... my longest chapter so far, breaking 2000 words, and containing the best battle I'll be writing for a while! I probably should vary the endings to my battles a little, but that's because they always end the chapter. I got a refrence to what Dante said to Kevin way back in chapter 2, and I got to make fun ASCII art. :)**

**Oh, and since I used Ghestis's speech in this chapter, and it's long overdue...**

**DISCLAMER: I do _not _own pokemon, nor am I affiliated with it in anyway (apart from our unique trading system, in which they provide me entertainment for money.)**

**There, I did it. Don't sue me, I'm poor.**

_**Chapter 9: The power within**_

-Dante-

"I have two!"

"So do I…"

I grinned. "I win – I have four!" Thanks to Kevin and Chris, I had anticipated in advance that I would win our contest easily.

Cheren raised an eyebrow. "Okay… can we see them?"

"Sure," I said, throwing the three occupied pokéballs (Max was still walking next to me). Kevin and Chris came out, along with the Patrat that had joined them, I think is name was Ratt – no, Rett.

"Whoa! Those must be really rare!" Bianca exclaimed, looking at her pokédex. "It says that they only live in different regions… I wonder how they got here?"

"Anyway, you win, so we need to buy you potions." Cheren glanced at Bianca, still looking at her pokédex. "You did remember to bring money, right, Bianca?"

"Of course, I put it in my jacket yester-" Horror showed on her face as she spoke. "I FORGOT MY JACKET!" She started running at a speed that kicked up dust, heading back toward what I realized was Numeva town.

Sighing, Cheren said, "Luckily I reminded her, or she might not have remembered until she _really_ needed it…" Turning to me, he said, "Anyway, we should heal our Pokémon. She can catch up to us at town later."

"Sure," I replied again, recalling my four Pokémon, Max included. I couldn't help but think about what would have happened if we hadn't gone and tested the machine. Oh, and that reminds me…

"Kevin," I said when Cheren was out of earshot, "this is all your fault."

His pokéball shook.

(~*-*)~-Several minutes later-~(*-*~)

"Your Pokémon have been restored to full health. We hope to see you again!" Accumula Joy said, although in a tone that sounded like she had been saying the same thing for several weeks (which, most likely, she had).

I went back out of the Pokémon center, and looked for Cheren. He wasn't there, so I decided to look around the town a little. I released all my Pokémon.

_That… just reminded me… that I… am claustrophobic…_ Max was shivering uncontrollably.

Laughing, Kevin said, _By the way, we told Rett about where we came from._

"Good, that'll save a lot of time." I noticed a crowd of people gathering around a platform with some people carrying around flags.

"Hey Dante, come here!" Cheren beckoned to me from the front of the crowd. Only when I got close did I realize what the flags looked like: A black and white shield with a P and a backward Z. The only place I'd seen that before is…

"Team Plasma!" I said. Cheren looked at me oddly, but did not question me. From the middle of the line of Plasma grunts stepped an older man with green hair that I assumed to be Ghestis.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he addressed the crowd, "my name is Ghestis, and I am here representing team Plasma." Well, that confirmed my fears. "Today, I would like to talk about Pokémon liberation." Many confused murmurs came from the crowd.

"What does liberation mean?" I asked. I never bothered to look it up, but I think I already knew.

"Liberation, noun," Cheren recited, as if reading from a dictionary. "The act of liberating or the state of being liberated." He snickered as I glared at him. "Definition two, the act or process of trying to achieve equal rights and status." Much better.

"I'm sure that most of you believe that we humans and Pokémon are partners that have come to live together because we want and need each other," Ghestis continued. "However, is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that we humans…" he stuck out his finger in a way that made it seem that he was pointing at everyone at the same time, "only _assume_ that this is the truth? Pokémon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers… They get pushed around when they are 'our partners' at work… Can anyone say with confidence that there is no truth in my word?" He said, his voice growing angrier as the speech went on.

_Man… it's even more persuasive hearing this in real life… then again, I am a little biased, considering I _am _a Pokémon…_Chris's voice sounded in my head, mixed with more of the crowd's murmurs.

His speech went on, word for word of what I had read in the game, the crowd (surprisingly, partially including myself) agreeing to his idea of liberation more, which seemed much less malevolent than those of Team Rocket, Magma, Aqua, and Galactic. "Everyone, I end my words here today by imploring you to consider to consider the relationship between humans and Pokémon… and the correct way to proceed." Turning around, he finished, "We sincerely appreciate your attention." The grunts picked up the flags and surrounded their leader in a protective formation, walking to the exit of the town in silence. The crowd broke apart, talking in groups about what had just happened. This part of the game had made me wonder whether or not these were the bad guys, but Chris was right – it was even harder to tell in real life.

During the speech, I was too absorbed to notice that there was another important person watching me…

-Kevin-

If it weren't for the fact that the three of us wouldn't last a day in the wild without Dante (or Rett, to some degree), I would have completely agreed with Ghestis's speech. After the crowd dispersed and Cheren left, though, I noticed someone else walk toward us.

"Excuse me, but your Pokémon… they seem a bit different." The man who could only be N looked at Dante, and said something that shocked us all. "I apologize if I am mistaken, but were they, by any chance, human at some point?"

I'm pretty sure my beak hit the ground. "How… were you…" was all Dante managed to get out. N smiled piteously at his loss of words.

"Well, I can't answer questions that you never say. I think that a battle would give you time to untie your tongue?" He drew out three pokéballs. "If you are from the same world as the one I visited, you should be familiar with the Triple battle. Here's a deal; if you can win with your three friends, then I'll give you an explanation. If you lose, you can still have it, but I would like to… borrow… them for a while." His tone obviously implied that he had no intention of returning us anytime soon.

"I don't know if we should do it…" Dante said to us. I voiced my agreement, but Max and Chris protested.

"If we don't try, we'll never get another chance," Max argued. It was two against two, so the tiebreaker was…

We all looked at Rett.

"Well…" He said slowly, "I would hate it if you guys got taken away… but you're all strong enough to beat him, I think, and Dante has all those strategies planned out… so I think you should try."

Reluctantly, I translated his thoughts to Dante. Sighing, he said, "I accept."

-Dante VS N-

-Max-

If I this was a book, then it would say something about this was essentially a battle for our lives, about how if we won, we would potentially uncover the cure for whatever happened to us, and how if we lost, we sacrificed ourselves (and any chance of changing back) to N and Team Plasma. (Author's note: fortunately for him, I can't make something that melodramatic.)

After altering our formations for a Triple battle, we took position on the plaza where Ghestis had been speaking before, Rett standing beside Dante. Silently, N threw his three pokéballs into the air, revealing another Patrat, along with a Purrloin and a Lilipup. Kevin was in the center, since his bubble attack had the most range. By now, a crowd had begun to reform around the platform. _Like there wasn't enough pressure already,_ I thought.

By way of response, Dante (educated in the Greek alphabet) said, "Formation Theta!" That was our main offensive formation. We all charged at the Pokémon in front of us; in my case, Lilipup. N said nothing, but yet all his Pokémon seemed to hear him. I used tackle, which it dodged, and used vine whip at the direction in which it jumped. However, it had timed its leap so that instead of getting hit, it landed on my vine, which hurt a lot (remember that this is also my arm). He ran on top of it, forcing me to the ground so that it wouldn't get dislocated, and tackled me, hard. Thankfully, He jumped off my arm, but it still stunned me. As soon as I got up, I was knocked back down by Kevin flying into me. I heard Chris fall on the ground hard, and I knew that we were outmatched in terms of offence.

"Formation… um…" He stalled while counting on his fingers, trying to remember the correct letter. While he was doing this, we were getting pummeled even more by Patrat and Lilipup, while Purrloin had the nerve to actually sit there and groom itself. "Theta… Iota… Kappa… oh yeah! Formation Lambda!" I knew he should have made less formations. We all stood up (if we were in the game, we would have been in the mid-yellow zone right now) and got in a triangle formation (ironically, not unlike the letter Lambda itself). Caught up in the battle, Patrat and Lilipup both came at us from the front. In front of his teammate, Lilipup got hit head-on by all three of our element attacks at the same time and flew into Patrat. They would have hit Purrloin, too, if he hadn't stood up, stretched, and walked calmly out of the way of his teammates, who both fainted due to falling off the platform.

"Delta!" Dante said. We went back on the offensive, now that it was three against one. We all used our attacks, but suddenly, he moved so fast that he became invisible. We, of course, completely missed. Suddenly, pain erupted from my side as Purrloin used scratch at a speed of at least 100 mph. For reasons I would never know, I didn't bleed, but I fell to the ground, holding my side in agony. Two startled cries told me the same thing had happened to the others. This was the end; each of us could only take one more hit if we were lucky. But before I gave up, a sudden calm came over me. My vision turned green, but I could still see perfectly. I subconsciously noticed a blue and red glow from either side of me, but I didn't pay attention. The same force that created the light made me get up and put my hands over my heart in a pledge – like motion. N's eyes flew open in surprise along with Purrloin's, and a collective gasp came from the audience. But above all the noise, one command came.

"OMEGA!" Dante shouted. At the same time, we thrust our hands out (or whatever limb we had) and shouted something.

"WATER PLEDGE!"

"FIRE PLEDGE!"

"GRASS PLEDGE!"

Nothing happened for a second, then suddenly, a column of water erupted from under Purrloin. Right after that, a rainbow appeared with a lot of steam, and then mud, accompanied with smoke. Our opponent was being hit with water, grass and fire at the same time, with what would be a combined power of about 225 in the game. The pillar of death eventually cleared, revealing an unconscious Purrloin with a very dirty (and wet) coat of fur. The green in my vision cleared, and instantly, the pain returned to me so fast that I fell to the ground even before the crowd started cheering. My brain wasn't working properly, so I somewhat stupidly thought, _Did we win?_

"Yeah, what do _you_ think happened to Purrloin?" Dante smiled, but I didn't see it. Neither did Kevin or Chris.


	10. Reminiscing revelations

**I'm back! Sorry it took so long, I was busy, and I couldn't really think of anything better than this fillerish chapter... anyway, I AM NOW ACCEPTING OCS FOR POKEMON TRAINERS! If you are intrested, please put it in a message or reveiw. Don't be scared to give actual reviews, though! Anyway, enjoy chapter 10!**

_**Chapter 10: Reminiscing revelations **_

-Dante-

_So, what did he tell you?_ As soon as we had finished a meal more than large enough to make up for the fact that we had skipped lunch (the day went by pretty quickly), Max's voice eagerly sounded in my head.

"Well, I'll tell you," I said slowly, "but first, I have some bad news." They looked at me expectantly. "Team Plasma _lost_ the machine that can turn you back."

Kevin just stared at me in disbelief, and Chris groaned. What surprised me, though, is that Max barely reacted. He just nodded and waited for me to tell my story. _The last time he was serious like this was… well, a long time ago, _I thought, while I said, "Anyway, after you all passed out (like you do after very battle so far)…

(-^-^)-Flashback!-(^-^-)

We were inside a house that, apparently, N had been staying in for the past week. We had come here for privacy, since, of course, anyone else would think that people talking about humans turning into Pokémon on a serious note belong in a mental asylum.

"So," N said once we had gotten settled. "if you don't mind, I must warn you that there are some parts of Team Plasma's motives that I cannot reveal. You may already know much about us from the… game you had in your world, but there is much more than what was communicated."

"First of all, I will explain something you must be curious about; how one person accurately transferred a world no one knew existed into a source of entertainment. We do understand that an individual known as Red has a special means of communicating with your world, and has used this to pass on his experience in ours. Upon further research, we discovered that all one needs to do this is powder made from a part of a legendary Pokémon. Red had the feather of a Ho-oh, while we… well, that's one of the things I can't tell you."

"At the same time as this, we were trying to figure out a way if Pokémon actually _do_ enjoy the freedom of being wild. After many impossible ideas, someone came up with the prospect of actually turning into one themselves. This was actually a good idea, albeit one with many hazards, such as the risk of losing themselves to the primal instinct of their new form. That's why we decided to combine the testing of the two projects; to test the effects of a transformation on someone from your world. The rest, you could probably figure out by yourself; we used your father as the gateway, and you four as the targets."

"So when can we go back?" I said this trying to hold in anger at him and myself, him for have being the reason that my dad was in the hospital, and me for not even have thought about him since we 'left home'.

"I was getting to that. You see, an ingredient in the smoke that the machine dispensed was meant to remove the people to which it was exposed from their world into ours, but only mentally. The only way for someone to physically come here would be by exposing a wider area to the smoke. And that is precisely what happened; apparently, there was a leak in a capsule, and it was contained within one room."

I remembered that we had closed the door to the basement when we came in. "Okay… but where did the machine go?"

His expression changed into a slightly unsure one. "Ah yes… You see, that's the thing: We don't know."

I stared at him incredulously. They practically make a teleportation device that gets lost after one use? And on top of that, it's probably the only way to get back. "Can you make a new one or something?"

N laughed. "Give us three years, and sure. No, if you really want to get back, I would suggest looking for the original."

Somehow, I didn't like where this was going. "You want four kids to look for a machine that might not even be here, when three of them might completely forget who they are? Can't you even _try_ to look for yourselves?"

"We could," he said, extending a hand, "if you agree to help with our research." Actually, that was better than what I expected. All we have to do is tell him stuff every so often, so I guess we have nothing to lose.

"I guess…" I accepted his handshake. I would have said more, but I didn't want to jinx myself.

"Ok, then," he said brightly, standing up, "in the meantime, you can just travel like you normally would. I'll see you in about a week." I hope that this won't end up as a bad choice…

(-^-^)-The present- (^-^-)

Everyone was silent for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Deciding to break the silence, I asked, "So, where should we look first?"

_I think,_ Max said, _that we shouldn't look for it._ I just stared at him. _If this is like the game…_

"I already told you what I thought about that, Max."

_Yeah, that was before you caught a Patrat, listened to Ghestis, and battled against N. I don't know about you, but if someone told me this is a dream _now,_ I wouldn't believe them. Besides, it's not like we have anything better to do…_

I sighed as I realized he was right. "Fine, what is it?"

_I think, _he said, pointing dramatically at me,_ you should get the Trio badge!_

We all stared at him for a while. "Actually," I said, smiling, "that's not a bad Idea."


	11. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

**Once again, I'm very sorry for the delay. I decided to use Aleron's OC for this chapter, although I have the other(s) in safe keeping for later. Enjoy the chapter, and I'll try to get the next one out sooner.**

**Insert disclaimer here.**

_**Chapter 11: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained**_

-Chris-

Okay, I'm awake. Let's see what happened yesterday _before_ I open my eyes.

After going in some random machine that Dante's father made, I woke up as a Cyndaquil. I then jumped out of a window, ran into a Patrat, got in two battles, and had two bowls of what equates to pet food.

Most of which could never happen. So this was all a dream and I'll wake up lying on Dante's couch. Maybe it was from a sugar crash, maybe we got drunk on air. But when I open my eyes – which I am now – I'll be…

I looked down at myself. "A Cyndaquil…" I muttered, despaired. I'd actually convinced myself for a while, too. I had been like this for a whole day, but only now did what actually happened catch up with me. We had become different _species,_ in a different _world._ I could _breathe fire,_ and from what I know, Max can perform _photosynthesis._ With a _tail._ And if I understood what N had told Dante correctly, every day I spent like this could be a day closer to forgetting that I had ever been human. Already, I was used to being in this body; I bet it would take me at least 10 minutes to remember how to use human limbs. And what would happen when – if – I evolved…

"Don't start yelling. I don't think Dante needs to be woken up again like Kevin did yesterday." I jumped around to see Max – still a Snivy – leaning against the wall, looking at Kevin and Rett, both still sleeping. "Do you know what time it is, by the way? I can't open the food cabinet without Dante."

It turned out that I didn't need to answer, as Dante chose that moment to wake up, as if responding to his name. He was sweating, as if he had been in a nightmare, and he spent a minute calming himself down before looking at us. He then froze, as if he hadn't expected to see what he was. We stared at each other for who-knows-how-long, and I was worried that he forgot to breathe.

"Well, apparently, he convinced himself better than you did," Max commented, breaking the silence.

"…Max?" Dante asked carefully.

Max smirked for the third time in three minutes and replied, "Snivy, ivy sni vy. Sni vy sniv?" Dante's questioning look turned into a confused one. Before he could figure out what to say (or I what to think), Max said, "Yes, it is. I hope that smoke hasn't given you amnesia."

"No, I just…" he shook his head. "So much happened yesterday… Anyway, who wants breakfast?"

/\/\/\/\/\

After waking up Kevin and Rett, getting the former convinced that he wasn't hallucinating, and eating more Pokémon food – which tastes nice, but not anything special – we set of for route two with a relatively bored Snivy, a somewhat paranoid Piplup, and a talkative Patrat. We could expect most of what was to come due to our game experiences, but we had to assume that anything could happen.

"So, unless we run into a fighting type, we'll be training Rett. Chris and Kevin will be backup; I think that Max is already strong enough." Did he have to boost Max's ego? Speaking of which, he was a lot more modest before he transformed. What if it was because he was a Snivy? What if, eventually, his personality would become just like one? What if the same happened to me? What if it already did? What if…

"Stop thinking so fast, Chris. You're making my head hurt." I looked down awkwardly. I've been pretty paranoid lately, if that counts for anything. I decided to lose myself in my thoughts, if only to pass the time. I thought about how and when we would change back, mostly. I virtually was lost in my mind until I heard another human voice.

"Hey! Are you going to Straiton?" It was another trainer, about the same age as Dante. He was a boy that was barely taller than him, and had three pokéballs on his belt. "Want to battle before the gym? I'm Aleron, by the way."

"Sure, I guess…" I think that Dante was just a little worried about someone finding out where we came from. "I'm Dante."

"Okay, let's make it a double battle!" Aleron drew two of his pokéballs and enlarged them. "Timburr! Mienfoo! Go!"

Under his breath, Dante said something about fighting types. Out loud, he said, "Chris and Kevin, go."

_You could be more enthusiastic,_ I thought. _He probably thinks you're some kind of social outcast now._ I saw him roll his eyes, but he didn't object.

"Formation – err…" he cut himself off at a glare from Kevin. "Chris, Smokescreen, then Kevin, Bubble!" I exhaled as if I was using ember, except this time the flame extinguished itself in my throat, so that only smoke came out and completely covered the area in between the two teams. Kevin then shot a spread of bubbles into the smoke that was wide enough to have hit both of the opponents.

"Timburr, Wide Guard! Then both of you push it forward!" Nothing happened for a while, but then two large rocks came hurtling at us from the wall of blackness. I saw Kevin shrug it off, but I couldn't get up. I was still conscious, but I wouldn't be able to battle.

"Alright, one down! Use the Vital throw combination!" Dante had always had slow reactions when he least needed them, and this was no exception. Kevin was looking at him, waiting for him to say something, and wasn't able to react when Timburr came out of nowhere, picked him up, and threw him straight to his side. Mienfoo ended his flight – and fight – with a simple kick and punch.

"Yeah! Nice work guys, return!" Aleron had easily beaten us, and our only sign of putting up a fight was the smokescreen. Still barely able to move, I sighed. I was pretty sure that Dante was still trying to figure out what move Kevin should use. "You know, you have to tell your Pokémon to use attacks, if you want them to do something."

"Yeah, I know…" He finally said, returning an unconscious Kevin. Aleron laughed.

"Do you need any help getting to Straiton? Because, no offence, but you won't get very far if you can't attack."

"I know how to attack, and I –"I cut him off with a glare of my own. I know Dante could take care of us and himself, but yelling at someone because he lost wasn't going to help us at all. He sighed. "-guess you can come with us."

Aleron had already started walking ahead. "Then what are you waiting for? You don't want to sleep here, do you?"

Dante grumbled, but moved after him. "If there was ever a time I wanted to disappear…"


	12. Dying on the Inside

**Chapter 12. Not much to say here, sorry. Just trying to advance the story.**

**_Chapter 12: Dying on the Inside_**

-Rett-

From what Chris told me, this was Dante's first loss. From what I could see, he wasn't taking it so well. In fact, he had been sulking ever since we ran into that boy, Aleron. Maybe he just feels like being antisocial. I wouldn't know. Aleron obviously already knew; he probably just came along to annoy Dante. On the bright side, he had some powder that revived Kevin. I like to talk to myself sometimes. Usually this is because no one is listening to what I am saying. Did you know that I came from Route 1? Being a trained Pokémon is fun. I get stronger that way. It's past midday, and we're still barely halfway across the route. There weren't any more trainers here. There were some cat Pokémon. I wonder if the cats are better than Lilipup. I don't like Lilipup…

"No offence, Rett, but can you please _shut up?_" Max growled. I had been talking out loud without noticing it. That happens sometimes. Max can be mean sometimes. Sometimes is a fun word. I like words. Words become sentences. I get distracted easily. Dante is a good trainer. I like being a trained Pokémon.

"Um… I think we should have a break," Aleron said, "before your Snivy forces us to…" I noticed that Snivy was looking at me like he was going to hurt me. He wouldn't hurt me, though. We're friends. Friends don't hurt each other. That reminds me of a song. The song even has the word sometimes in it…

"Good idea," Dante said quickly.

-Max-

I swear, if Rett says sometimes one more time, one of Aleron's revives won't help him. I remember Chris saying that he was talkative, but this…

We stopped for our break in a clearing between two ledges. Both of the trainers had some food packed, so we had a small picnic. Aleron sent out his Pokémon – an Axew, along with the Timburr and Mienfoo from before – and Dante released Kevin and Chris, who had been resting from their previous defeat. While Rett went over to talk to the unfortunate Axew, Kevin and Chris talked to Timburr and Mienfoo, leaving me to my own devices. I wasn't hungry (and, while I wouldn't tell the others, I had become slightly suspicious of the Pokémon food), so I decided to do something that I rarely did as a human unless I was sleeping; I laid down.

Usually, I was more energetic – even when I was playing on the DS, I looked up to find myself in a completely different room every so often. But some part of me just felt like relaxing. It wasn't as bad or unbearable as it had once been, and it felt even better when I exposed the leaf on my tail to the sun. Closing my eyes, I felt some energy circulating in the new appendage.

"What are you doing?" A voice came suddenly, but Chris's request did almost nothing to penetrate my calm. Without thinking, I replied with the first word that came to my mind:

"Synthesizing."

Dante, Kevin and Rett stopped talking at once, and I could literally feel Chris's shock radiating from his body like a heat wave. Opening one eye, I could see the four looking at me with varied expressions, and Aleron and his team looking at them questioningly. The sudden change in the mood had shaken me out of my meditation, but I never fully registered what I had just said. "What's wrong?" I asked, still slightly under the influence of my rest.

"…you were… actually doing that?" Dante asked, still not recovered.

Aleron raised his eyebrow. "You mean you didn't know that Snivy can perform photosynthesis? Well, it'll be a while before he can use it in battle, but I'd think that the leaf would make the general concept clear…" he shrugged, "Well, I suppose that there is a lot that you don't know, considering that you can't command an attack."

Past event momentarily forgotten, Dante groaned and started trying to convince him of his competence. Rett instantly resumed his conversation with the other Pokémon, now including the other two. Kevin, after giving me an unsure glance, tried to save Aleron's Pokémon. But Chris was looking at me fiercely, the fires on his back blazing as hard as they had in the battle with N.

"Max. Were you even _trying_ to control what you were doing?" He asked in a voice that suggested he was torn between fury and concern.

"Ah… kind of?"

Obviously the wrong answer, Chris punched me in the stomach.

"Listen!" He practically yelled. "Just because you finally get to be the strongest doesn't mean that you're better off this way! Because whether you realize it or not, that machine didn't only change your body; it changed your _species._ And eventually, that species is going to get to your head completely. It's going to make you forget that you were _ever a human._ You'll forget about _Earth_. You'll forget who we – Kevin and I – were. You'll forget who YOU were. And from the way you acted today – " he glanced at Rett as he said that " – that last part is already starting."

Against my better judgment, I asked, "And your point is…?"

He looked like he was about to punch me again, but he turned away. "…If you're jumping down into the trap N made, don't drag us with you."


	13. Rett Rules

**Sorry about the delay, but I can't promise that it won't happen again. I'll try my best, though.**

**About OCs, I'm probably going to use Aleron as a major side character from now on, but I can still use more.**

**And in other news, once i can update this fairly regularly again, I might start a new story. Also, please try to vote in the poll on my profile; I don't want to end up using one character too much.**

**Gym leader time!**

**Insert disclamer here. Also, Warning: The following content does contain reference to The Game. If you don't know what that is, consult your nearest internetz. If you do... well, you just lost, so you might as well read. :**P

**_Chapter 13: Rett Rules_**

-Kevin-

After Chris's… argument… with Max, Dante and Aleron decided to pack up the picnic and continue along the route, with the said Pokémon returned. To be honest, I don't really know what their argument was about. All I picked up was something about Max's personality changing, and I haven't really seen much of that, except for when he was lying down a while before. The only other time we see him stay in one spot for so long is when he's sleeping, and I'm pretty sure he wakes up around two at that.

Thinking of Max's transformation reminds me of mine. I haven't really felt any different, if you're not including the ability to shoot exploding bubbles out of my mouth. In fact, I've gotten used to this body. I could grow to like being a Piplup… but I'm a human. Unless I'm one of those guys who was born as another species, disguised as a human for the majority of their lives, and then called upon later to save the world as their true form.

Yeah, not likely.

Anyway, the trip to Straiton City was uneventful, except for when Bianca unsuccessfully challenged Aleron. Going into the actual town, one quick look showed that it was exactly as we all remembered it. I was looking forward to the gym leader challenge; since Max was Dante's "starter", Chili will challenge him, and I have a type advantage. But when I learn peck, I could probably take on Cilan, too. Some part of me is pretty confident that I could beat him now…

-Dante-

"I'm going to go challenge the gym. I'll see you later, maybe." Aleron left me in front of the Pokémon center, turning in the direction of the gym. I didn't respond; I'm still angry about that battle. I don't know if it's at him or myself, but I am.

I went in and healed my team quickly. Then I called them out near the east part of town for a meeting.

"All right, we're going to fight Chili. If I remember correctly, his team was around level 14 in the games, compared to our assumed average of 9. Since we're trying not to spend too much time here, I'll only train Rett and Kevin." I saw the other two's mouths open to protest. "Chris, your fire-type moves won't do much against his, and Max… well, yeah. Besides, it's going to be two on two that way."

_But why do you need Kevin? The girl in this forest will give you a Panpour, won't she?_ Max complained, referring to the Dreamyard behind us.

"Well, that's because…" I paused to think of a reason. "…I guess you have a point. We'll just focus on Rett for now. Kevin can deal with any fighting types." Kevin glared at the triumphant Snivy.

"All right, let's go."

(~*-*)~

Rett had to be at least as strong as Max by now. He had been able to get through the two trainers guarding the Panpour-giver, the only healing needed being the potion I had from Cheren.

"Hey, you there!" The lass at the end of the field waved at me. "Want to battle?"

At first, this confused me. I don't remember having to battle her before we got the Panpour. But I don't think it should make too much of a difference…

"Sure," I replied.

"All right, it'll be one on one. What starter did you get from the Professor?"

"I have Ma- I mean, Snivy."

"Grass… then I'll use my Panpour!" She threw her pokéball. "'Cause water beats grass, right?"

I resisted the urge to laugh. "Not exactly…" but regardless of the easy win Max could have given me, I stuck with Rett.

-Rett-

The Panpour didn't say anything to me before the battle started. I wonder if he really is going to join us. Sometimes I wonder if Kevin was lying and Dante's actually a psychic. I've never seen a psychic Pokémon before. I think I heard someone say Bide, so I'll just use that. The Panpour is shooting water at me. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I've become stronger since I joined Dante. I don't regret it. Ow! Now he bit me! At least he's not using lick… I always thought that lick was a weird move. At least Lilipup doesn't learn lick. I'm bored. I think I'm going to release bide now. He's not moving. Wait, he fainted already?

"Wow, your Patrat's really strong!" The girl said. "Thanks for the battle!"

"You're welcome."

"…"

"…"

"…Yes?"

"…You don't have anything to give me?"

"Um… no…" Ah well, it looks like the Panpour isn't joining us. Actually, he's saying something to me now.

"Hey… are you going to fight Chili, by any chance?" He asked in a weak voice.

"Actually yes, we are."

"Well I know an easy way to beat his Pansear. He's actually my brother. Come here…"

-Dante-

Okay, so the Lass isn't the same. She doesn't give us a Panpour. That's okay, because I have Rett, who should be around level 12 by now. I also have Kevin… wait, Max talked me into not training him.

We're screwed.

I stood there doing nothing for a while, and the young girl looked at me strangely. "Hey… are you all right?"

"…Yeah…" I walked out of the Dreamyard in a trance, not feeling Rett poking me like he had something to say. I only had one Pokémon for the gym. I went to the center and healed my team. I only had one Pokémon for the gym. I got some more potions, but I won't need them, since I'm not going yet. I only had one Pokémon for the gym. I walked outside, and saw Cheren, Bianca, and Aleron waiting by the gym.

Bianca could see that something was wrong. "Dante, is everything OK?"

"…I only have one Pokémon for the gym."

"Well, do you think he's strong enough?" Asked Aleron.

"Yeah, but…" I said, trying to tell them that I wasn't ready.

"Well that's going to have to do. We already booked you for the last match of the day." Cheren smirked. "And you better have luck on your side, because everyone comes to the resteraunt to watch the last match."

"…" If I hadn't made a promise with myself a long time ago, I probably would have sworn right then. Instead, I wordlessly let Bianca drag me into the gym/resteraunt. Not only would I have to take on the gym leader with one Pokémon, but the whole town would be there to watch me lose. Sometimes, I hate life.

(~*-*)~

The café was now full. My three friends managed to get the closest seat to the stage. Aleron was listening intently to Cilan, Bianca was giving me a smile and thumbs up, and Cheren was fooling around with his pokédex.

After saying some things to the crowd that I didn't bother to listen to, I was shaken out of my thoughts by Chili shouting, "Are you ready!" to both me and the crowd at the same time. The latter cheered while I just nodded and got out Rett's pokéball.

-Dante VS Chili-

The referee then explained the rules. "The battle will be a two against one single battle, at the challenger's request. The gym leader is not allowed to switch Pokémon in the middle of a battle. Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"

"Let's go, Lilipup!"

"Rett…"

As soon as Rett caught sight of his opponent, he started growling. Just then, I remembered Chris telling me about his hatred of Lilipup. I smiled. This could go my way after all…

"Begin!"

"Rett, use-"

Before I could finish or Chili could say something, Rett dove madly onto his opponent, tearing at him with his teeth and claws. The dog Pokémon shrieked at the onslaught, and tried to kick him off, but Rett would not relent. The Lilipup eventually went limp, but Rett wouldn't stop, attacking furiously while making a sound as close to a roar as his species could manage.

"Rett, stop! He fainted!" I yelled, but he didn't hear me. I couldn't recall him or else I would lose by default, and I couldn't let him kill a gym leader's Pokémon (Chili's attempts to recall his Pokémon were repeatedly blocked), so I took a risk and went onto the field to grab him. He was still flailing when I managed to pull him away, and still yelling angrily. Chili looked at him and I with a scared expression, and I offered weakly, "He doesn't really like Lilipup…"

"Ah… Lilipup is unable to battle!" The referee announced, extremely late.

"G-go, Pansear!" Chili said in a wavering voice, as if fearing for his favorite Pokémon's life (which he probably was).

"Begin the next round!"

"Okay, Rett, go easy this time," I commanded. "Use bite!"

He ran up to the opponent – although nowhere near as fast as he did against Lilipup – and opened his mouth. However, the Pansear nimbly cartwheeled to the side, easily avoiding the attack.

"Ember, now!" Chili said, regaining confidence. Pansear breathed flame at Rett's exposed side, and then tackled him unbidden. Rett got up quickly enough, but I could tell that this wouldn't end well.

The battle continued in a similar manner, with Pansear dodging Rett's physical ones, and then launching a counterattack of his choosing. I could see that Pansear was getting tired of dodging, but Rett wasn't doing so well, either. We had both already used up all of our potions, and unless Rett could pull off a critical hit or something, this would end just as I was scared it would…

-Rett-

I'm really tired. This Pansear was really tough. I remember fighting his brother – that Panpour – but he wasn't this hard. Wait a second – didn't he say something about an easy win… I think I'll try it…

"Looks like you lost," he taunted. He'd been making fun of me the whole battle. It wasn't very nice… Let's see how he likes it.

"Maybe, but there's something that you can't win!" I returned. He stopped bouncing around as much.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

I took my most dramatic position, pointing at him for no apparent reason, and said calmly:

"The Game."

-Dante-

While Rett and the Pansear were talking, both me and Chili stopped giving commands for a while to see what would happen. I was confused when Rett pointed at Pansear, but even more so when I saw his reaction.

The smile that had been on his face the whole battle suddenly faded. He stopped bouncing around, dropped to his knees, and yelled to the sky, "SEEEEEEEEEEE!"

I don't know what just happened, but I'm not complaining. "Ok… while he's distracted! Tackle!"

Rett tackled him once, twice, three times before he fainted, and he was too busy with whatever Rett had said to fight back.

"Pansear is unable to battle, and gym leader Chili is out of usable Pokémon! The match goes to Dante!" The audience cheered wildly, especially Bianca and Aleron, and Cheren smiled. I had won my first gym badge and with only one Pokémon.

I was going to praise Rett, but Chili came up to me. "That's one very… interesting Patrat you have," he grinned, "and it was fun to battle you. Since you beat me here you go! The trio Badge!" He produced a rectangular badge with three colored sections from his pocket, as well as a disc. "Also, this TM contains Work Up. Your battling style didn't let me use it, but it should be very helpful for you. The next gym is in Nacrene City, and I'm sure you'll do fine there. Oh, and don't forget to come back later. I'd like to see what other Pokémon you have then!"

"I will, thanks!" I was feeling a lot more upbeat after winning the gym battle. I was a little bitter after losing to Aleron and not getting the Panpour, but this made up for it and more.

Now I just need to find a hammer to hit Max with, and my day will be complete.


End file.
